In other news, after failing to find a pair of perfect straight khakis last spring, I had the legs of these old khakis tapered just slightly. They are now perfectly straight rather than flared and I am extremely pleased with them. Extremely.

Make your way to my side so that you can get a closer look at these patterns together.

It’s worth a closer look

This is like a master-class in pattern-mixing — so don’t be shy

This look is both ultra-feminine (all that pink and rose, all those flowers) and boyish (khakis and a sweater-vest). I like this mix. It’s so back-to-school.

Or as NBA announcers would say, “Directrice is puttin’ on a clinic”

For those who wonder what the scarf looks like when it isn’t twined and knotted around my neck, you can see in this photo that the cherry blossoms are definitely in a larger scale that the floral on the blouse.

Something to think about when you buy scarves is how they will look when folded and twisted. The overall pattern (unless it is of a very small scale — a repeat of 2-3″) will be lost and you might be surprised by which colors come to the fore. Don’t despair! I think it’s fun to see, but it is something to think about before you buy a large scale printed scarf.

* The best line of The Tale of Two Bad Mice — after they realize all the food is fake and before they trash the house — is “Then there was no end to the rage and disappointment of Tom Thumb and Hunca Munca.” I think of this every time something goes wrong at work.

Lovely scarf, and cute ensemble. And a most excellent quote for when things go wrong at work, which was my entire day today. Tomorrow there shall be no end to the rage and disappointment!! Or as the red queen would say, “off with their heads”!! But first, I will shop for a lovely scarf as a way to soothe my soul. Sometimes your blog simply grounds me. Thank you!

Very nice — love the balance of masculine and feminine elements here. You seem to find great things at Anthropologie, but whenever I go I can’t quite visualize their stuff in a more professional setting.